1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to lighting balloons. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a lighting balloon apparatus configured to employ multiple lighting sources and mixtures thereof, while providing a stable and resilient illuminating body that may accommodate desired fixtures thereon.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is an increasing demand for the use of lighting balloons, particularly in the entertainment industry, due to their ability to provide various illuminations in a sensitive location lacking requisite lighting. The preference for lighting balloons is primarily attributed to their ease of use for required daytime and nighttime illumination, as well as for their applications in exterior and interior locations.
Lighting balloons found today are typically spherical-shaped and composed of rip stop or sailcloth materials coated with a polyurethane, which in many cases limits the range of lighting output. Over time, the potential illumination provided by these balloons are prone to fading due to discoloration of the light emitting material (hereinafter “the balloon envelope”). For example, the urethane coating used to seal conventional balloon envelopes has been known to chemically deteriorate as a result of sustained exposure to various lighting sources, resulting in the surface of the balloon envelope turning into an undesirable yellowish-stained shade. This discoloration inevitably shifts the intended color temperature expected from a particular lighting source, thereby frequently prompting the need to replace the balloon envelope in order to regain the desired lighting output.
Lighting balloons may be tailored to provide a soft quality of light, capable of illuminating 360 degrees from the light source. In many cases, however, 360 degrees of illumination may not be desirable and, therefore, there are instances where there is a need to control the illumination emitted from the balloon envelope. As the popularity of lighting balloons grow so do the demands of lighting professionals to have them designed to yield various desired looks and uses. Unfortunately, the illuminating direction of conventional lighting balloons are difficult to control. The difficulty associated with controlling these lighting balloons is mainly attributed to the curvature and seams associated with the commonly used spherical-shaped balloon envelope. For example, in an attempt to control the illumination emitted by such balloons, lighting designers have been known to add black tarp-like materials onto the surface of the balloon envelope to block light. However, this typically does not achieve the desired result, but rather results in the body of the spherical-shaped balloon envelope to roll in the direction of the weight added, only to further alter the desired direction of lighting output.
There was a time when most locations were able to accommodate lighting balloons that simply emitted day light (i.e., a color temperature of 5500 Kelvin) and tungsten light (i.e., a color temperature of 3200 Kelvin) without worry of miss-matching in the color temperature of lighting sources. However, today's professionals encounter many challenges due to the various lighting sources that are now more frequently utilized, such as sodium vapor lighting used to illuminate roads at night and metal halide and mercury vapor lighting that is typically found in industrial areas and stadiums. There exists a desire, particularly in the filming community, to have the color temperature of light emitted by balloon envelopes match the color temperature of light emitted by fixed illuminating structures found in various locations. For example, when legacy film lighting instruments are utilized by professionals in the filming community, the light emitted by these legacy instruments need to be recolored in final production to match the pre-existing lighting captured in various scenes, thereby unnecessarily increasing the costs in producing such films. Although conventional lighting balloons have improved over time by providing for multiple source lighting, they continue to lack in meeting the increasing demands of those industries commonly requiring the use of such lighting structures. Conventional lighting balloons, in providing multiple source lighting, typically require the use of multiple lighting balloons structures and harnesses or, alternatively, the use of colored sleeves that need to be assembled onto lighting fixtures prior to inflation. These conventional means are severely deficient in that the use of additional lighting structures and components are costly, while sacrificing the lightweight maneuverability and power consumption benefits associated with earlier lighting balloons.
Accordingly, there exists a need in the art for a reliable and resilient lighting balloon apparatus configured to employ multi-faceted ambient light sources.